The radical Libertarians and Tea Party supporters are probably the loudest of the bunch. They call themselves the "silent majority" but they're really the "loud minority". Anybody with common sense knows that they don't make up a majority of all Republicans. Most Republicans are moderates who love their Social Security, Medicare and other social programs that the radicals despise. The only reason why they support the radical conservatives is because they don't have any other reasonable alternatives to vote for. What percentage of the Republican Party do you believe are moderates?
The correct percentage is not on your poll. If by "Moderate" you mean lazy, spineless Socialists... about 30%, probably. The rest of Republicans actually DO give a damn about freedom. Sorry to rain on your parade...
I find it likely many of what was termed "Moderate Republican" ten years ago do not feel comfortable calling themselves republican anymore. As politicians they are rejected by the "new" version of the Republican brand, and as a part of the electorate they are called a RINO. When the face of this Party looks like this: They are most certainly not interested in a moderate anyway....not a good way to expand the party. tecoyah now waits for the inevitable RINO label.
Nixon was a moderate Republican. Ford was a moderate Republican. Hell even Reagan acted like a moderate Republican compared to the reactionaries who dominate the party now.
Those were the days...even Bush Sr. was primarily a moderate. I miss the days when I was a proud Republican.
The TP faction, angry, alienated, older white guys, throw continual hissyfits over any manifestation of responsible governance. From their extreme, paranoid perspective, most politicians appear as "Socialists!", "Marxists!", "Liberals!" There is no future in their political nihilism; pragmatism always triumphs over seething, irrational, dogmatic ideology. Their juvenile Ayn Rand fantasy world (now infused with mega-doses of a warped version of the Christian ethos she had eviscerated) will never become reality. I'm not sure how many Republicans are "moderates" but, as an indicator, the wacko birds screech "RINO!" quite frequently in referring to those who hold the traditional Republican values espoused by the aforementioned presidents. .
